"The magistrate of Jiaxing County died of illness while in office, and the magistrate of Xiushui County was promoted to the governor of Taicang Prefecture. Unfortunately, Zhenxing is from Yuhang, and I feel sorry for him. I didn't expect that Huguang would request to set up Hecang Fort as Jiahe County." Xu Lingyi picked up the teacup and took a sip, "This can be regarded as a loss in the east, but a gain in the west."

On the second day of June, Luo Zhenxing, who had waited for a long time, finally received a document from the Ministry of Personnel, appointing him as the magistrate of Jiahe County in Huguang. He had to take up the post before the 20th of June. That evening, Xu Lingyi hosted a banquet for Luo Zhenxing to see him off.

"I have to thank Lord Xiang for this." Luo Zhenxing smiled implicitly, "If Lord Xiang hadn't written to the Marquis, I would have applied for the position of Ningzhou County Magistrate. Whether I could get it or not is one thing, and I might have offended Elder Liang. It's also a small county, but with Lord Xiang and Lord Wang here, it's much better than Ningzhou."

This sentence sounds awkward, but in fact, in March, the Ministry of Personnel vacated the magistrates of two wealthy counties, Jiaxing and Xiushui. Because Zhenxing was from Yuhang, he could not be an official because of his family background, so he lost the qualification to fill the vacancy. At the end of April, the magistrate of Ningzhou was transferred to Anyi County, and Liang Ge Lao wanted to arrange one of his disciples to go to Ningzhou. Xu Lingyi was thinking about whether to follow Chen Ge Lao's way, but Lord Xiang suddenly sent a letter, asking them to slow down. In mid-May, Hecang Fort in Huguang was far away from the state government because the bandits had just been pacified, so they would request to build a county government to pacify it. Instead of competing with Liang Ge Lao for the position of Ningzhou County Magistrate, it is better to discuss with Liang Ge Lao and let him come forward to give the newly established Jiahe County Magistrate to Luo Zhenxing.

Xu Lingyi was refreshed and went to Luo Zhenxing to discuss: "Wang Lei, the commander of Huguang, was once my subordinate. If you go to Jiahe, you will have Lord Xiang and Wang Lei with you. If you need anything, the two Lords will definitely help you!"

Luo Zhenxing was worried about this matter, and when he heard the words, it was as if he had drunk ice water in the hottest days of summer. He found Elder Liang through the Luo family, and the matter was accomplished without any suspense.

Xu Lingyi smiled slightly: "Jiahe is also a poor and remote place, but it is easy to achieve political achievements. The assessment of the Ministry of Personnel is nothing more than taxes, thieves, prisons, household registration, fields, and schools. Everything else is easy, but I'm afraid you need to put more effort into taxes..."

The two of them were talking in the study, while Eleventh Lady was sitting on the big kang by the window of Qingyin Residence, cleaning Jing'er's clothes: "...This little silk jacket was made with the extra fabric I saved back then. The color is nice and the look is new. I'll keep it. Maybe Ting'er can use it in the future!"

Ah Jin replied "yes" with a smile.

Jing'er walked out with wet hair.

"Sixth Young Master, Sixth Young Master!" The little maid Cherry chased after him with a handkerchief in her hand.

"Give it to me!" Eleventh Lady took the handkerchief from Yingtao's hand with a smile and helped her son wipe his hair. "You are so old, but you don't know how to take care of yourself."

Jin Ge'er laughed and sat on the kang, flipping through the clothes scattered all over the kang: "Are these all mine? How can I have so many clothes?"

"Of course they all belong to the Sixth Young Master." Ah Jin smiled and brought a cup of warm water to Jin Ge'er. "Some of them he didn't have time to wear because the Sixth Young Master grew taller." He pointed to a pile of clothes on the side and said, "They are all made of top-quality materials."

Jin Ge'er picked it up and took a look at it, then threw it aside without any interest. He asked Shiyi Niang, "Mother, is my uncle really going to be the county magistrate of Jiahe County?"

"Of course it's true." Eleventh Lady wiped her son's hair carefully, "The official documents from the Ministry of Personnel have all come down. Your uncle will leave the day after tomorrow."

Thinking of the six months of companionship, Jinger was reluctant to leave: "Why go there? Isn't Yanjing good? It's so far away, I can't see you during the holidays..." As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at Shiyi Niang, "Mom, can you go and persuade uncle? He can still become a fifth-rank official in Yanjing. Why go to such a poor and remote place instead of a near one!"

When an official reaches the fifth rank, he can be granted a title of nobility, which is the so-called ennoblement for his wife and children. The lifelong hope of many officials is to reach the fifth rank.

"Your uncle is not just after the favor and the position of an official." Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "He wants to do something practical for the people. He doesn't want to waste his time on those papers."

Jing'er was silent for a long time, then he said "Oh" softly and whispered, "I understand..." His tone sounded a little heavy.

Eleventh Lady couldn't help but laugh: "What did you know?" She took a comb and combed Jing'er's half-dry hair.

Jing'er turned his head and looked at her with his head tilted: "Uncle wants to be like fifth uncle! Uncle said so last time we went to Wendeng." As he spoke, he laughed, "Me too, when I grow up, I want to go to Jiayuguan..." His big phoenix eyes were sparkling, and his expression was indescribably upbeat and free and easy.

Eleventh Lady was stunned.

Since Jing'er returned to Beijing, she has not discussed this issue with him seriously. Firstly, she felt that Jing'er still needed some time to digest the trip to Jiangnan; secondly, she felt that Jing'er was still young and it was not time for him to make a choice. Unexpectedly, he was still thinking about going to the northwest!

"Have you decided to go to Jiayuguan so early?" Eleventh Lady slowly slowed down her hair-combing movements. "Didn't you tell me that Zhuge Liang's strategy of borrowing arrows from a straw boat was unparalleled, and Zhou Yu's burning of Red Cliff was magnificent..."

"Yes!" Jinger laughed, "But I like the northwest more. The sky is vast and the wilderness is endless. Unlike the south of the Yangtze River, everything is delicate and small, and the big men act like women..."

"You're talking nonsense again!" Eleventh Lady said angrily, "Your uncle is from Jiangnan, Mr. Zhao is from Jiangnan, Chen Ge Lao and Dou Ge Lao are both from Jiangnan, which one of them looks like a woman? Aren't they the ones who decide on national affairs? Isn't it their contribution to the peace and prosperity of the world?"

In Jin Ge'er's mind, although Jiangnan is good, the Northwest is more to his liking. He wants to go to the Northwest. If his mother thinks the Northwest is not good, she will definitely oppose him going. Even if his father agrees, there will probably be many twists and turns. If he is not careful, he may not be able to go!

He wants to convince his mother.

"Mom, the northwest is really great!" Jing'er said, "That place is wide and high, you can run and jump as you like..."

"But the northwest is very hard." Eleventh Lady laughed, "The wind and sand are blowing in your face, and there is nothing delicious to eat. You just went there for fun. If you stay there every day, you will get bored. It's just like if you stay at home every day, you always think it's interesting outside."

"No way!" Jin Ge'er got anxious. He turned around and looked at Shiyi Niang, ignoring the fact that she was combing his hair. "My father and I traveled from Jiayuguan to Hamiwei. We ate flatbread every day and sometimes stayed out overnight. But when I rode my horse over the hillsides, looking at the land under my feet and the valleys left behind, I still found it very interesting." He laughed, "It's not like when I went to Jiangnan with my uncle, we said we wanted to pick stars from a small three-story wooden building, a small earth slope was a mountain, and a palm-sized pool of water was called a lake. It's boring..." There was some disdain between his eyebrows.

Ye Moyan rode a horse.

When sitting on horseback, one's vision becomes broad, the earth and the people are all under your feet, and there is a sense of superiority looking down on all living beings, which will fascinate many people.

Or did he simply enjoy the freedom of riding a horse and running without restraint?

"You came all that way just to ride a horse?" she asked him softly.

Jinger shook his head, was silent for a while, and said, "I want to be the general of Jiayu Pass!"

Eleventh Lady was surprised: "Why do you want to be the general of Jiayu Pass?"

"In winter, the Tartars would come to Jiayuguan to rob things. Many people died every winter. I also saw people without legs and hands, begging on the street." Jing'er's face gradually became tense. "The general of Jiayuguan drank with Daddy and started crying. He said that he was old and couldn't beat the Tartars. He asked Daddy not to blame him. Daddy also looked helpless. He buried his head in drinking with the general of Jiayuguan and got drunk." As he spoke, his little hands clenched into fists. "When I grow up, I want to be the general of Jiayuguan and fight the Tartars. Let them never dare to come and rob us again."

Eleventh Lady looked at the little person in front of her and felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Then do you know that fighting the Tartars is very dangerous?" Her eyes sparkled. "If you are not careful, not only will you fail to defeat the Tartars, but you will also lose your life, and even cause your followers like Chang'an and Suifeng to die with you!"

"No!" Brother Jin smiled and pulled Shiyi Niang out, stopping only when they reached the center of the yard.

There was a row of weapon racks on one side of the yard, with spears, sticks, lances and other weapons on them.

Jinger stepped forward, pulled out his stick, and swung it a few times, with a dull tearing sound in the air. He nodded with satisfaction and hit the pomegranate tree next to him with the stick.

With a snap, a branch as thick as a child's arm fell down.

"Mom!" The candlelight of the red lanterns under the eaves shone on his face, and the smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows was filled with undisguised pride, "Isn't it great? I will become more and more powerful in the future! Chang'an and Suifeng will follow me and will never die." He was full of confidence.

"Jin'er!" Eleventh Lady said bitterly as she stepped forward and gently hugged her son. "Brute force alone is not enough. You also need to learn how to march and deploy troops, how to deal with ministers in the court, and how to lead soldiers." Her eyes were blurred and she choked with sobs and could not continue. "That is a very difficult, very difficult road..."

She felt sad that her son was walking on a rough path, but why did she feel a sense of pride in her heart?

She burst into tears.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?" Jing'er asked curiously, his mind racing, "Are you afraid that you won't be able to see me again after I go to the northwest? No, I will write to you often and come back to see you as soon as I have time..."

Eleventh Lady began to sob.

Jinger was a little flustered: "Mom, I, I won't go now. The general of Jiayuguan said that I can only go to the northwest when I can wear those yak leather boots..."

A pair of strong arms held the mother and child in their arms.

"Alright, alright, stop crying!" Xu Lingyi comforted Shiyi Niang in a gentle voice, "Jin'er will be fine... The general of Jiayuguan is not someone you can become if you want to... If Jin'er didn't have the ability, I wouldn't let him go..."

Eleventh Lady buried her face in the warm embrace and cried softly.

※

Because the writing was not smooth, it took a lot of time to update this chapter. After thinking about it, I decided to treat it as a supplementary chapter, and the normal update will be postponed to around 24:00 in the evening.

It’s a bit late, so don’t wait any longer!

My credit has been a bit bad during this period...⊙﹏⊙bSweat...I'm very sorry, I will adjust myself as soon as possible.

PS: Additional update will be added on September 25th!